Bayern Munich’s sentimental journey is at risk of grinding to a halt. The prospect of a home final will disappear if they do not win at San Siro next week and there may be no fairytale goodbye for one of their legends.
Thomas Müller is an all-Bavarian icon and, sniffing space in the manner that has defined his career, appeared to have salvaged at least a draw soon after arriving from the bench. The script seemed clear enough from there: three days after the announcement that a 25-year marriage is almost over, Müller would bring Bayern closer to a blissful reunion with the trophy they cherish most.
That was until Inter put it in the shredder. Simone Inzaghi’s side spend periods looking indifferent but can produce moments of thrilling incision and are emphatic in front of goal. They were on the ropes after Müller’s equaliser but did as so many Italian sides have, mastering the situation and finding a way. When the tireless Carlos Augusto mustered one last lung-busting up run up the left flank, the substitute Davide Frattesi was placed to crash in his delivery and send Inter’s contingent streaming towards the corner flag.
Frattesi ripped off his shirt but Bayern, guilty of leaving the door unlocked when searching for a winner, were the ones exposed. A cobbled-together team, visibly diminished by the long-term injuries to Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala, may regret not opting to lock the result down. Perhaps the absence of Dayot Upamecano, one of several others in the treatment room, played into their ragged defensive shape when Inter picked them apart decisively.
If you cannot win it, at least do not lose it? “It wouldn’t be the right thing to feel that this 2-1 was a reflection of us not being able to win the game,” Vincent Kompany demurred, preferring to point out the flawless execution of an Inter counterattack masterminded by the exceptional Nicolò Barella. “The result is for Inter at half-time, well done to them, but we still have full belief we can win.”
Their confidence might be burgeoning were it not for a moment that may yet give Harry Kane nightmares. The horror on his face was palpable when, after 26 minutes in which Bayern peppered Yann Sommer’s goal, he was found eight yards out by an unselfish Michael Olise. Even at a slight angle, only one outcome seemed possible when Kane wrapped his right foot round the ball. Instead his shot clipped the far post; nobody has scored more Champions League goals than Kane since his move to Bayern but it is hard not to wonder whether his pursuit of glory is cursed.
By then Bayern should have already been in front, if only due to the volume of half-chances created. Olise, trying to summon the big-game impetus Musiala has honed, saw an early shot deflected inches wide and forced two saves from Sommer. The former Bayern keeper also denied Raphaël Guerreiro, who was pressed into an attacking role due to Bayern’s selection issues, and caught a header from Kane. It all added up to the time-honoured impression punishment would follow and Inter inflicted it stunningly.
Augusto had fired a warning shot into the side-netting and Lautaro Martínez, threaded through deliciously by Barella, had stumbled when well placed before they contrived a beautiful goal. Martínez began a move on halfway that ended with Augusto centring low for Marcus Thuram, who showed extraordinary presence of mind to detect the Argentinian behind him. He wrong-footed the Bayern rearguard by flicking backwards towards his colleague and the finish, taken first-time with the outside of Martínez’s foot, was resounding.
“We went toe to toe with them in determination, courage and aggression,” a delighted Inzaghi said. “We did something remarkable, but it won’t matter unless we do it in the second leg at San Siro in front of our fans too.” Few coaches follow Inzaghi in opting to field two centre-forwards but, in Martínez and Thuram, his team carry an explosive double threat regardless of game state.
For most of the second period they were in defensive posture, although Bayern barely created a chance between Kane’s aberration and Müller’s salvage act. Kompany’s players came to look laboured, nobody proving capable of emulating Musiala’s bursts beyond Kane and a lack of left-sided thrust painfully evident without Davies.
There was little to enthuse the home crowd until Müller’s introduction, which raised the volume and brought fleeting reward when he bundled Konrad Laimer’s cross in from close range. “A fantastic moment for Thomas,” Kompany said. Bayern will need another when they seek inspiration in Lombardy.
